Prof Valter Longo
Director, University of Southern California
Dr. Longo is the Edna Jones Professor in Gerontology and Professor in Biological Science. He is also the Director of the USC Longevity Institute. He is interested in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of aging in yeast, mice and humans by using genetics and biochemistry techniques. He is also interested in identifying the molecular pathways conserved from simple organisms to humans that can be modulated to protect against multiple stresses and treat or prevent cancer , Alzheimer’s Disease and other diseases of aging. The focus is on the signal transduction pathways that regulate resistance to oxidative damage in yeast and mice.
Selected Publications
1: Song M, Fung TT, Hu FB, Willett WC, Longo VD, Chan AT, Giovannucci EL.
Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific
Mortality. JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Oct 1;176(10):1453-1463.
2: Di Biase S, Lee C, Brandhorst S, Manes B, Buono R, Cheng CW, Cacciottolo M,
Martin-Montalvo A, de Cabo R, Wei M, Morgan TE, Longo VD. Fasting-Mimicking Diet
Reduces HO-1 to Promote T Cell-Mediated Tumor Cytotoxicity. Cancer Cell. 2016 Jul
11;30(1):136-46.
3: Longo VD, Panda S. Fasting, Circadian Rhythms, and Time-Restricted Feeding in
Healthy Lifespan. Cell Metab. 2016 Jun 14;23(6):1048-59.
4: Choi IY, Piccio L, Childress P, Bollman B, Ghosh A, Brandhorst S, Suarez J,
Michalsen A, Cross AH, Morgan TE, Wei M, Paul F, Bock M, Longo VD. A Diet
Mimicking Fasting Promotes Regeneration and Reduces Autoimmunity and Multiple
Sclerosis Symptoms. Cell Rep. 2016 Jun 7;15(10):2136-46.
5: Mirzaei H, Raynes R, Longo VD. The conserved role of protein restriction in
aging and disease. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2016 Jan;19(1):74-9.
6: Brandhorst S, Choi IY, Wei M, Cheng CW, Sedrakyan S, Navarrete G, Dubeau L,
Yap LP, Park R, Vinciguerra M, Di Biase S, Mirzaei H, Mirisola MG, Childress P,
Ji L, Groshen S, Penna F, Odetti P, Perin L, Conti PS, Ikeno Y, Kennedy BK, Cohen
P, Morgan TE, Dorff TB, Longo VD. A Periodic Diet that Mimics Fasting Promotes
Multi-System Regeneration, Enhanced Cognitive Performance, and Healthspan. Cell
Metab. 2015 Jul 7;22(1):86-99.
7: Shim HS, Longo VD. A protein restriction-dependent sulfur code for longevity.
Cell. 2015 Jan 15;160(1-2):15-7.
8: Cheng CW, Adams GB, Perin L, Wei M, Zhou X, Lam BS, Da Sacco S, Mirisola M,
Quinn DI, Dorff TB, Kopchick JJ, Longo VD. Prolonged fasting reduces IGF-1/PKA to
promote hematopoietic-stem-cell-based regeneration and reverse immunosuppression.
Cell Stem Cell. 2014 Jun 5;14(6):810-23. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2014.04.014. Erratum
in: Cell Stem Cell. 2016 Feb 4;18(2):291-2.
9: Mirzaei H, Longo VD. Acetyl-CoA synthetase is a conserved regulator of
autophagy and life span. Cell Metab. 2014 Apr 1;19(4):555-7.
10: Levine ME, Suarez JA, Brandhorst S, Balasubramanian P, Cheng CW, Madia F,
Fontana L, Mirisola MG, Guevara-Aguirre J, Wan J, Passarino G, Kennedy BK, Wei M,
Cohen P, Crimmins EM, Longo VD. Low protein intake is associated with a major
reduction in IGF-1, cancer, and overall mortality in the 65 and younger but not
older population. Cell Metab. 2014 Mar 4;19(3):407-17.
11: Longo VD, Mattson MP. Fasting: molecular mechanisms and clinical
applications. Cell Metab. 2014 Feb 4;19(2):181-92. doi:
10.1016/j.cmet.2013.12.008. Review.
12: Mirisola MG, Longo VD. A radical signal activates the epigenetic regulation
of longevity. Cell Metab. 2013 Jun 4;17(6):812-3.
13: Longo VD, Shadel GS, Kaeberlein M, Kennedy B. Replicative and chronological
aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cell Metab. 2012 Jul 3;16(1):18-31.
14: Guevara-Aguirre J, Balasubramanian P, Guevara-Aguirre M, Wei M, Madia F,
Cheng CW, Hwang D, Martin-Montalvo A, Saavedra J, Ingles S, de Cabo R, Cohen P,
Longo VD. Growth hormone receptor deficiency is associated with a major reduction
in pro-aging signaling, cancer, and diabetes in humans. Sci Transl Med. 2011 Feb
16;3(70):70ra13.
15: Fontana L, Partridge L, Longo VD. Extending healthy life span--from yeast to
humans. Science. 2010 Apr 16;328(5976):321-6. doi: 10.1126/science.1172539.
Review.
16: Longo VD, Lieber MR, Vijg J. Turning anti-ageing genes against cancer. Nat
Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2008 Nov;9(11):903-10.
17: Li Y, Xu W, McBurney MW, Longo VD. SirT1 inhibition reduces
IGF-I/IRS-2/Ras/ERK1/2 signaling and protects neurons. Cell Metab. 2008
Jul;8(1):38-48.
18: Longo VD, Kennedy BK. Sirtuins in aging and age-related disease. Cell. 2006
Jul 28;126(2):257-68. Review.
19: Longo VD, Mitteldorf J, Skulachev VP. Programmed and altruistic ageing. Nat
Rev Genet. 2005 Nov;6(11):866-72. Review.
20: Fabrizio P, Gattazzo C, Battistella L, Wei M, Cheng C, McGrew K, Longo VD.
Sir2 blocks extreme life-span extension. Cell. 2005 Nov 18;123(4):655-67.
21: Longo VD, Finch CE. Evolutionary medicine: from dwarf model systems to
healthy centenarians? Science. 2003 Feb 28;299(5611):1342-6. Review. PubMed